Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins II
Round 2: 4.4
Round Winnings: $9,144.13
Total NFR Earnings: $19,144.13
World Standings Earnings: $87,985.82
Average: 4
World Standings: 10
Motes’s take: Andrew and Buddy’s run last night was textbook. Andrew is a guy that you don’t really think about being as aggressive and as fast. They are a team that are sneaky fast. Their run looks easy. He’s going to turn a lot of steers and Buddy is going to rope two feet. They’re a team that you look for to be in contention for the average.
Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin
Round 2: 4.2
Round Winnings: $21,336.32
Total NFR Earnings: $31,336.32
World Standings Earnings: $94,091.45 (Proctor); $100,671.33 (Medlin)
Average: 10
World Standings: 8; 9
Motes’s take: Last night looked more like typical Coleman. He got a flat go. Coleman had a snappy head loop and put the steer on the end of it. Logan’s heel horse is the horse of the year and it showed why last night. He was all the way up and around him, waiting for the steer to go and that makes it simple. I look for them to be fast.
Derrick Begay and Brady Minor
Round 2: 3.9
Round Winnings: $26,996.97
Total NFR Earnings: $42,657.62
World Standings Earnings: $113,550.82 (Begay); $104,536.07 (Minor)
Average: 1
World Standings: 6; 8
Motes’s take: They won the round last night. That looked more typical of what I expect out of these guys. Begay breaks and sticks it on them, and Brady likes to heel fast. Derrick is more comfortable on that horse now. They got a flat go and got it on a short rope.
Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler
Round 2: 7.3 +10
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $10,000
World Standings Earnings: $81,544.76 (Richard); $80,511.68 (Buhler)
Average: 8
World Standings: 14
Motes’s take: Rhen got a pretty good start. When he came across the line he split the horns. They were pretty fortunate that it didn’t hang the nose. Rhen is a catch guy—rides good, fast horses. Jeremy ropes two feet a lot. They are going to be a team that stays in contention for the average. He got a little pop leaving the box and when he came down the tail of his rope came up and caught the barrier. I don’t think it affected him much, but I feel like when your tail is getting hung in the barrier, it keeps you from finishing quite as good.
Clint Summers and Ross Ashford
Round 2: 5.8
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $10,000
World Standings Earnings: $84,482.63 (Summers); $81,822.41 (Ashford)
Average: 13
World Standings: 11; 13
Motes’s take: Clint got a good start and got him on a short rope. That run was going to set up really fast. They turned into a 5.8 with one bobble over the dally on the heel side. They’re going to keep making that run. That looked like their run that they make. It’s Ross’s first time here. He’s roped good all year. He’s going to rope two feet a lot and get good setups.
Brenten Hall and Chase Tryan
Round 2: 5.1
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $10,000
World Standings Earnings: $83,505.74 (Hall); $84,775.92 (Tryan)
Average: 7
World Standings: 13; 11
Motes’s take: This was quietly a pretty good run. Brenten got just a little bit beat at the barrier and that makes it hard to go 4. He got a little bit of a funky go and it caused him to take one extra swing. He’s going to get that start down and it’s going to let Chase get up and around them. It’s going to set that run up to be quicker.
Tyler Wade and Trey Yates
Round 2: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $36,996.97
World Standings Earnings: $126,034.50 (Wade); $121,178.82 (Yates)
Average: 9
World Standings: 5
Motes’s take: This was a funny go. The steer was fighting the chute. As Tyler was bringing it right there the steer stumbled a little and it caused him to miss the right horn. That is something TWade doesn’t do. He covers the right horn great. That is just bad luck. TWade is going fast from here on out.
Clay Tryan and Jake Long
Round 2: 4.4
Round Winnings: $9,144.13
Total NFR Earnings: $19,144.13
World Standings Earnings: $113,394.46 (Tryan); $114,396.98 (Long)
Average: 11
World Standings: 7; 6
Motes’s take: That was a good run and what you expect to see early on from Clay Tryan—a veteran. You expect to see a lot of steers turned. He gets it on them fast. That was the kind of go a guy wants. It allowed Jake to get up and around him and clean him up fast. Jake is an aggressive heeler and ropes a lot of them by two feet. For him to be able to get up and around them. They are in the groove and will be catching again.
Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp
Round 2: 5.5
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $10,000
World Standings Earnings: $89,676.58 (Snow); $112,036.91 (Thorp)
Average: 6
World Standings: 9; 7
Motes’s take: Snow kind of got a little bit of a late start. He did a great job with his loop and it went on crispy. As he went to the horn he got his sleeve caught in his dally and it made it to where he couldn’t pull the steer across the arena as fast. He let his rope run a tiny bit and it put Wesley in a spot where he had to take an extra swing as well. This team will get it lined out. When Snow hits the barrier, he is as good as anybody in the Thomas & Mack.
Clay Smith and Jade Corkill
Round 2: 4.3
Round Winnings: $16,111.10
Total NFR Earnings: $31,771.75
World Standings Earnings: $142,341.95
Average: 2/3
World Standings: 4; 3
Motes’s take: Clay and Jade just make this look easy. Clay has ridden Boogie so far out here. Whenever he’s able to stick it on and brings Boogie back, it brings the steers on the end of his rope. He is able to get them pulled away from Jade. It looked like they could make that run 100 times in a row. A good start, one swing, clean head catch and when you’re able to pull these steers away from Jade like that, Jade is so good and so consistent. What people forget is how good Jade gets around them and gets finished in that building. They are going to catch a lot.
Erich Rogers and Paden Bray
Round 2: 4.2 +5
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $31,336.32
World Standings Earnings: $153,353.45 (Rogers); $148,273.23 (Bray)
Average: 5
World Standings: 2
Motes’s take: Rogers did a great job getting out. When you’re on go like Erich is then you have to be there. When you go and the steer doesn’t start as much as you want and you get caught pulling, it throws the momentum of the run. Erich did a great job there, but when he turned the steer off he didn’t really have anywhere to go. That was the only leg of the night, but it was kind of caused by Erich’s position right there. He wasn’t able to square him up and pull him off because he was pulling through the box trying to get out at the barrier. He’s going to get broke to the middle and broke to the pen, get the steers on a short rope.
Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira
Round 2: 4.6
Round Winnings: $4,354.35
Total NFR Earnings: $30,465.45
World Standings Earnings: $149,795.85 (Driggers); $164,180.95 (Nogueira)
Average: 2/3
World Standings: 3; 1
Motes’s take: I’m super happy for these guys getting off to a good start. They had a great run. They have a good game plan and they have executed it so far. The steer was down the middle, pushing to the right. Driggers is comfortable with that so it’s easy to heel when you know that your partner has the capability and is comfortable with them stepping off to the right. You’re able to worry about your position and not worry about getting up to their head. Junior was able to go to that position and let the steer stay on the end of it. They want one thing. They want to win the world in the team roping. They’re being aggressive, but they’re placing, too.
Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves
Round 2: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $10,000
World Standings Earnings: $157,515.78 (Egusquiza); $136,869.12 (Graves)
Average: 15
World Standings: 1; 4
Motes’s take: Dustin just split the horns. When he gets up and gets that swing, he’s about an inch and a half away from going 3.5 right there, and it’s a no time instead. The next eight rounds are one-headers. They’re my round win pick for Round 3. I’m going to say they’re 3.7 tonight for the round win.
Quinn Kesler and Joseph Harrison
Round 2: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $21,321.31
World Standings Earnings: $83,724.53 (Kesler); $83,009.76 (Harrison)
Average: 12
World Standings: 12
Motes’s take: Quinn is extremely aggressive with his head loop. He got such a good go and was caught up quick. It was a good loop and everything and he just waved it off. His loop hit down low around the steers eyes and it should have worked and it just kind of lifted off. It’s hard as a rookie there to dominate right off the bat. He has the feel for it now. This is Quinn and Joseph’s first rodeo together. Joseph catches a lot, so I think they will get quite a few times the rest of the week.
Coy Rahlmann and Douglas Rich
Round 2: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $10,000
World Standings Earnings: $73,924.53 (Rahlmann); $73,849.20 (Rich)
Average: 14
World Standings: 15
Motes’s take: This is just terrible luck. As Coy nodded the steer turned it’s head and there’s nothing you can do because you’re set on going. You’re anticipating the steer is going to go. That is the first steer that’s turned its head. They are a fast team. They’ll just back in there now and do what they’re doing. They’re a good team and will finish strong.
